..to be worried about the future?

[Purplegirl123]

Probably a silly question really - I think most people have concerns given the recent outcome of the election. I'm 30 and really stuck about what to do .. At the moment I work in a fairly dead end job, I work in a call centre and the work is really fast paced, it's boring and repetitive and there's barely chance in between calls to sip water, most mornings I wake up and it feels like there is something sharp in my throat, and my neck/throat is swollen. I've not mentioned anything to my employer because I doubt they would provide a solution anyway, and any sign of "causing trouble" can lead to dismissal, one way or another. I can see things like this getting worse, with employees rights diminishing under the conservative govt /human rights act abolished / increase in zero hours contracts.
My situation is, I have a place at uni to start in September studying occupational therapy - this is currently funded by the Nhs. I'm just worried that in 3 years time when I graduate there will be no jobs - (or even an Nhs!!) in a related field.. I'm also worried that if I don't immediately have a job to go to after I graduate that I won't be able to claim job seekers allowance (I won't have paid tax for the previous 3 years, being a student).
I have no family to support me, which sometimes makes me angry and resentful of people/friends that do :-( my dad is alive but refuses to support me. (He remarried / had other children after my mum died)
My other option is to move to New Zealand on a 2 year working holiday visa.. This is my dream but I keep telling myself that eventually I'll have to come back (unless I can get an employer over there to sponsor me) and I'll be in the same situation again, and the chance of uni will have passed. 2 years is a long time and maybe I could find a way of settling there .. I'm sure there are lots of young (ish) people in similar situations .. Should I leave the Uk?? :-/ x

Go to college, qualify and then, if it's still your dream, go to New Zealand to practice. You'll have to do a bit of research to find out what, if any, additional qualifications you would need to practice there and also what the job opportunities are in your field. But, yeah, that's my advice.

Move to New Zealand. Go. As soon as you're qualified....apply to get work out there...what about Australia?

We're going in August. Not coming back. If you can....I advise anyone to get out asap.

Go to Uni- it will open many doors and opportunities.

I advise anyone to get out asap.

Do you not think you're being just a tad alarmist here? Honestly, you'd think the Red Army had just marched into Britain.

Nope. Most people aren't concerened at all . Most people would have been concerend if we'd had a Labour victory which is why they were firmly trounced by the Tory party.

Most of us who bothered to vote are waking up thanking every deity that we didn't get those two fuckwits Ed n Ed running our country into the ground for the next 5 years.

Go to uni, after uni, if you can't get a job in the UK, look at going to NZ then, but with a qualification.

I would say as well, if there's a chance that you are going to graduate into a competitve environment, you need to go to uni with the mindset you need to be the best. So work as hard as you can, try to get any work experience possible, be the most likely of your class to get a job if there's not many around.

The need for OT won't disappear, there might be less work available, there might be a new structure in place for employment, but even if the NHS is scrapped (Which it wont be), there will be healthcare of some sort in the UK.

There's a lot of hysteria about what a Tory government is going to do, there will still be healthcare, even if the organisation delivering that is slightly different.

I advise anyone to get out asap. That would solve the net migration problem, then.

OP. I'd go to uni. It's fully funded isn't it? I'd also work part time to keep a salary coming in, and experience for my cv.

No one knows what'll happen. No one knows what would have happened under Labour. I don't think we need to worry about the immediate future; long term, I'm quite pessimistic.

I think you should take it one step as a time. Go to university and study. Then decide where you want to work.

I don't worry too much about the result of the election (despite it not being the result I wanted) because I am well aware that the population of this country has it pretty cushy compared to much of the world. Maybe volunteer with a charity which works with refugees - it will give you a whole new perspective. They cope, you will too.

Prof maybe I am...it's just a feeling I have. I know that's not a real "thing"...a feeling is just that. Nonetheless I don't have much desire to stick around and recommend others who feel the same don't.

Go to uni, be the best you can be and do your research on OT work, not just in the NHS but in other healthcare systems.
Which types of OT work are most likely to face cutbacks within the NHS, or are only available privately elsewhere?

I would go to New Zeland, not because I'm worried about the future of the country as a result of the election, but because it's a fantastic opportunity and if you can do it, you should grab it with both hands.

If in 3 years your imagined scenario is correct and there is no NHS and no jobs in a related field (and I doubt that will be the case), then you're no worse off anyway, you just didn't waste 3 years getting a useless degree.

And yes, it's pretty much the same govt that's been around for the past 5 yrs not the red army. Get in quick while the training is still funded though.
I'd be more concerned about your job prospects if your dream job was in NHS admin to be honest.

NZ is fantastic, but I wouldn't pass up qualifications for it. Even if there is no NHS there would still be a need for medical professionals (Also are nhs related courses currently subsidised? no NHS and that will go too).
Stick to your plan, visit a GP re your health. Going to NZ with qualifications would put you in a stronger position. (And in 3/ 4 years you'll still be young!)

Find out what it takes to work as an OH therapist in NZ and then have that as your goal throughout your time at university in the U.K.. Then you can't really lose. Lucky you!

Careful what you tell the student loan company before you leave though, or you might face a demand for immediate repayment of your student loans.

The majority of people in RL ( not mn) would be more alarmed as a pp said had Labour been victorious. Everyone I know has breathed a sigh of relief.

Go to Uni, definitely. Don't be scared- go for it.

If you worry about the NHS, take a look at the NHS in Wales which is Labour run. That's something to REALLY worry about.

I'm a speech and language therapist. I worked in aus for a while but now I'm back in the UK. Working in aus taught me that ta public heath service is not the only potential employer.

Go to university, become an OT then get trained in something really niche, like sensory integration. Set up privately and work for the NHS and yourself. Job done, and you can travel anywhere you want in the English speaking world for work.

Chin up - but don't run away from the UK because of fear. This is a great country, other countries like aus are not without their own issues - nowhere is perfect.

Qualify then go. You can always come back.